


Life is Spectacularly Strange

by MySuperior



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), The Spectacular Spider-Man (Cartoon)
Genre: Organized Crime, Post-Sacrifice Arcadia Bay Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-29
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 17:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5098547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MySuperior/pseuds/MySuperior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever wanted to see your favourite Arcadia Bay residents' life together after the crushing ending of Life is Strange?<br/>Ever wanted to see a third season of The Spectacular Spider-Man? </p><p>Well now you (whoever you are) can have both of those things! At once! Sort of. This work is actually something of a ''plot sketch.'' It includes dialogue, but it's mostly just a narrative telling of the story that I don't have the time to tell in extreme detail. The tone is darker than The Spectacular Spider-Man but a tad lighter than Life is Strange. </p><p>Life is Spectacularly Strange is a continuation of the Life is Strange story following the ''Sacrifice Arcadia Bay'' story and a continuation of The Spectacular Spider-Man following the season 2 finale ''Final Curtain'' It's been roughly two months following both ''conclusions.'' Peter Parker is struggling with his identity following the ''death'' of Norman Osborn and Max Caulfield still hasn't heard from her parents since a tornado wiped out Arcadia Bay. Wondering what happens next? Read to find out. Also, most of the super-villains that are used in this work were shown in the series just in their civilian forms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Life is Spectacularly Strange: 

A Crossover 

Arc 1:

The first arc will primarily focus on Peter, Gwen, and Harry following the ''death'' of Norman Osborn and Max and Chloe attempting to make it on their own in Brooklyn, NY after surviving the massive storm that decimated Arcadia Bay. This arc may consist of 12-13 Episodes. 

 

Spider-Man Villain Appearances Arc 1:

Sin-Eater

Scorpion

Carnage

 

Episode 1: Monochrome

 

 

Max Caulfield still hasn't heard from her parents since the storm that flattened Arcadia Bay. Now, she and her girlfriend Chloe find themselves struggling to rent a crappy one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn New York. It's quite a ways away from either of their homes, but Max and Chloe just wanted to get as far away from Arcadia Bay as Chloe's truck could take them. Plus, the busy streets keep the couple's minds off of the recent past.

Meanwhile, New York's crime rates have increased drastically since the disappearance of Spider-Man following a battle with Green Goblin that resulted in the death of the ''mentally ill'' Norman Osborn. Peter is struggling with his conscience--unsure of whether Spider-Man is still a hero or a murderer.

To pay the bills, despite intense disagreement from Max, Chloe enlists in an experimental program at the Ravencroft Mental Institute. She will get paid a decent amount of money to aid in the rehabilitation of a ''patient'' who has shown good behavior and improvement  through a home-stay program. Her patient is Edward Brock Jr. In the final scenes of the episode, there is a shoot out near Ravencroft. To prevent any harm to Chloe, Max(much to her own surprise) instinctively rewinds and the two hide in a nearby cell. Outside, the flying bullets result in the death of Officer Jean DeWolf of the NYPD. Her partner, Stan Carter is mortified.

 

 

Episode 2: Cake

 

 

In the days of Silvio Manfredi, no one took Nicholas Lewis  Sr.  seriously. His fellow mob bosses mocked the Crime Master's feeble attempt to establish himself as a crime lord. ''A laughable amateur'' they called him. The media didn't even bother to print stories on the man. Well thanks to Spider-Man. ''They'' were all imprisoned  or being watched by the federal government. The shooting yesterday in Brooklyn killed off the last of the street thugs that would oppose Nick Lewis Jr. as he prepared to continue his father's legacy as the new Crime Master. With the other bosses gone and Spider-Man nowhere to be found, Nick's life is great.

Life for Max and Chloe however, is not great. In fact, the two are in the middle of a spirited melt-down after Max has discovered that she still has her powers. What does this mean for her? For Chloe? Why can't she just live happily with her girlfriend? To make matters even more stressful, Max and Chloe have to watch what they say around Eddie who now sleeps on their couch. If Eddie reported that his caretakers were just as insane as he was, Chloe would lose her paycheck for sure.

Just as the meltdown reaches its climax, the doorbell rings. A pissed, nervous Chloe soon finds herself staring at a scrawny kid through the peephole. Upon learning that Eddie had gotten out of Ravencroft on ''good behavior,'' Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy had ventured to Brooklyn to check on their ''friend.'' Peter had to find a way to warn Eddie's caretakers and to make sure that his ''bro'' wasn't reunited with the symbiote. Peter meets Chloe for the first time but is denied entry to the apartment as Chloe is ''busy'' and Eddie doesn't want to see him.

Later that night, Peter dons the red and blue tights. ''Just to check on Eddie,'' he swears to himself. Spider-Man returns to the apartment and sneaks in. He sneaks to the front room and confronts Eddie who angers Peter by pretending to have the symbiote hidden away and hinting that after killing Norman Osborn, surely Spider-Man is just as insane as Venom ever was. In his anger, Peter pushes Brock into a wall, making noise that brings Max and Chloe rushing into the living room.  Having been seen, Spider-Man quickly retreats.  Astounded, Chloe demands to know why Spider-Man showed up and how he knew Eddie Brock. Eddie happily complies, revealing that Spider-Man is Peter Parker.

Elsewhere in the night, there is an armed robbery in progress. A group of Crime Master's henchmen are pulling a job for their boss. However, one by one, they are picked off.  

The next morning Peter and his Aunt May wake to the horrific news story that a masked vigilante by the name of Sin-Eater beat and butchered four criminals after stopping an armed robbery. Peter knows that Spider-Man needs to step in.

Max, and Chloe spend the day working odd jobs to make some extra cash and looking into local high schools that might take a nearly-homeless kid. Chloe knows that Max has potential in photography and doesn't want her to waste her talent and doom herself to a life of poverty.  Reluctantly, Max agrees that Chloe can pay the bills and that she will at least get a high school diploma. To show his support, Eddie reveals that he has a large sum of money (Stolen in The Spectacular Spider-Man episode 13) in his old apartment and that the three of them can share it.  At the end of the day, Max is accepted into Brooklyn Vision Academy of the Arts and Eddie buys the girls a cake to celebrate.

 

 

Episode 3: The Cake Was A Lie

 

 

No matter how hard he looks, Spider-Man can't seem to find Sin-Eater before he strikes. To make matters worse, Spider-Man has returned to the public to face more ridicule than ever. Each time Peter goes out in the suit, people are throwing things at him, calling him a murderer, or trying to arrest him. Even thugs and thieves scream'' Hypocrite !''  at the wall-crawler upon being apprehended. Meanwhile, Sin-Eater is practically dropping bodies onto the streets of New York.  Street thugs, gang bangers, drug dealers,  bank robbers, purse snatchers--no criminal seems to be safe from the Sin-Eater. The mass-murderer even strikes fear into the heart of New York's latest crime boss. A paranoid Crime Master has doubled security and tripled pay for anyone with information on Sin-Eater and the recently-returned Spider-Man. It's been three weeks since Sin-Eater's debut and Crime Master still hasn't found a lead. Nicholas declares that if Sin-Eater isn't brought down, he will gather his remaining men and paint the streets of New York red. He figures that if he mows down enough innocents, Sin-Eater will either come to him or get shot like the rest.

After three weeks, it's finally payday. Chloe and Eddie venture to Ravencroft for his monthly check up per the home stay agreement.  Eddie gives his hostesses a fantastic review and although he still shows signs of his delusions of being ''Venom,''  Doctor Ashley Kafka sees remarkable improvement in her ''star patient'' and allows him to visit Cletus Cassidy--the only person in the institute who actually believed in Eddie's hallucinations. While Eddie is visiting with is friend in a separate area of the institute, Dr. Kafka hands Chloe her check--- for  fifty dollars. Chloe is livid. Fifty bucks won't even pay the water bill. That's not even taking into account Max's school supplies or groceries for three. On the way home, Eddie attempts to console his hostess. He assures her that his cash can pay rent and at least one utility for eight months. Chloe feels a little better, but she still can't shake her want for money. Max sacrificed so much for her--for them. Chloe at least wanted to be able to take her girlfriend to McDonalds or buy her a new hoodie from Goodwill. Eddie empathizes with her and the two agree to spend the rest of the day working odd jobs.

Max Caufiled is having trouble on her end too. She's trying to readjust to school life, but every class that just reminds her of Arcadia Bay and all of the people she sacrificed. The kind lunch lady reminds her of Joyce. The quiet, Goth girl reminds her of Kate, the nerd in the front reminds her of Warren, and even the school bully reminds her of Victoria. How could she sacrifice all of those people? Her friends? Chloe's family? Plus, there was the awful omen that her powers had somehow remained intact. She begins to reconsider her agreement with Chloe. On her way home, Max decides to  tell Chloe that school just isn't for her anymore. But the moment Max walks through the door, Chloe grabs her attention.  Apparently, while working a job, Chloe and Eddie were approached by a woman who told them that her boss would pay fifty thousand dollars in cash to anyone with information on Sin-Eater or Spider-Man--information like his secret identity.

Max and Chloe get into another spat. Max can't believe that Chloe would want to out the identity of Spider-Man for money. They had read about and seen on the news plenty of times in Arcadia Bay. He'd saved dozens of people's lives. He was a good guy. Chloe argues that they don't really know his motivations, saying Peter did kill ''that Osborn dude'' and that Jefferson seemed like a ''good guy'' at first.  Eddie doesn't know who this Jefferson guy is, but he agrees with Chloe whole-heartedly. He'd give this guy Peter's name himself if he could. But, if he was caught outside without his caretakers, Eddie's time at Ravencroft would double.  The argument ends with and exhausted Max just going to bed. An angry Chloe and an annoyed Eddie remain in the small ''kitchen.'' After a few moments of silence, Eddie suggests that he and Chloe go by themselves, give the boss what he wants, and get paid. After all, eight months is only eight months. Chloe agrees.

With no sign of Sin-Eater, Peter decides to take a short break from his search and support his best friend Harry at Oscorp's first board meeting since his father's passing. Gwen is there and so are dozens of reporters who await the conclusion of this crucial board meeting. Emily Osborn--Harry's mother and new C.E.O of Oscorp is reportedly going to announce a project that will push Oscorp to even greater heights.  She is also insisting that Harry learn the business now that his father has passed.  Before the meeting starts, Emily notifies Peter that if he'd like, she will continue to mentor Peter in her husband's absence. The board meeting begins and is nearing its conclusion when Sin-Eater bursts through the door to the meeting room. He announces that he will no longer confine his mission to physical acts of sin. The corrupt board members of Oscorp who pick over Norman's remains like vultures will be the world's first example that no one unjust will be safe from salvation.

Panic breaks out in the room and in the midst, three of the fourteen board members are killed.  Harry looks around for Gwen only to find Peter helping her escape the room. Meanwhile, in an attempt to neutralize the threat of Sin-Eater's shotgun, Emily activates the room's sprinklers two more board members are shot dead before Spider-Man crashes through the window and into the soggy room.

Spider-Man and Sin-Eater do battle. While Sin-Eater lacks enhanced strength and agility, he still manages to maintain the advantage in the battle. After all, Spider-Man is trying his best to multitask. In addition to evacuating Emily, Harry, and the remaining board members, Spider-Man also finds himself horrified and distracted by Sin-Eater's words.

The mass-murder tells Peter of how he was inspired by Spider-Man's actions against crime and that after he disappeared, the city needed Sin-Eater to step up and take his place. In Sin-Eater's mind, he and Spider-Man should be allies not enemies. With the room evacuated, Spider-Man begins to take the upper hand. Before he lands the crushing blow however, a beaten and bruised Sin-Eater pleads for Spider-Man to stop. Sin-Eater removes his mask and reveals himself to be none other than Officer Stan Carter. He explains to Peter how he watched his partner get gunned down and swore to never let anything like that happen to innocent people if he could help it. This throws Spider-Man off. He wasn't aware that DeWolf had died and begins to feel guilty. Stan and DeWolf had worked with George Stacy on multiple occasions. In fact, excluding captain Stacy, DeWolf and Stan were the closest allies that Peter had on the force.  If Spider-Man had been there, Sin-Eater wouldn't need to be. Stan takes advantage of the moment and knocks Spider-Man unconscious with his shotgun. Sin-Eater dons his mask and prepares to shoot Spider-Man for defending the sinners in the board room, abandoning the people of New York, and for murdering Norman Osborn. He pulls the trigger, but his shotgun has become waterlogged. With sirens in the distance, Sin-Eater decides that Spidey's salvation will have to come another day.

Chloe Price and Eddie Brock arrive at a dark warehouse.  The area is crawling with Crime Master's masked henchman. Chloe and her patient are the only ones who aren't armed. Chloe starts to get nervous. She had promised Max that she was done with drug dealers and gang bangers. Eddie assures her that this will only take a moment and that it will benefit her and Max in the long run. He remarks that he saw Caufiled looking wistfully at a beautiful red dress  when they walked the mall a week ago.  Plus, it must suck to have to wear the same clothes to school every day. Chloe decides to stick with their plan.  Inside of the warehouse, Crime Master is waiting for them. He'd personally come to ensure the ''quality'' of the information.

The moment they are given permission to speak, Eddie begins to tell Crime Master that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Crime Master however, orders Eddie to be silent. He'd seen the boy on the news claiming to be Venom. He was clearly still insane. Besides, Peter Parker was already suspected and cleared a few months earlier. The kid may very well be Spider-Man, but he isn't going to take Brock's word on the matter.  If the blue-haired girl has additional evidence to suggest that it's the Parker kid, then Crime Master will pay up and have his men deal with the boy during school hours.

Chloe looks back and forth between Eddie, Crime Master, and the armed henchmen who stand silently in the shadows. She can either give up Peter's secret identity and go home knowing that she doomed a kid to die, or she could keep the promised information  a secret and get gunned down without even telling Max goodbye.  There'd be no saving her this time. With her decision made, Chloe swallows and tells Crime Master that she has no information, but that she wants in. She wants a job.

Silently, Crime Master stands, walks over to Chloe and extends an open hand. The girl is young, but she's got spunk. With his men's numbers decreasing by the day, Crime Master needs all the spunk he can get his hands on. Chloe and Eddie walk back to the truck Chloe considers the night a victory. Crime Master even agreed to only give her jobs that wouldn't involve shoot outs or guns. All she had to do was pick some locks and maybe provide a getaway ride.  For five thousand dollars per job, it seems like a pretty sweet deal. Eddie enthusiastically disagrees. He is deathly silent for the ride home and when he and Chloe get out of the truck and prepare to enter their apartment , Bock begins to yell, screech, and flail about while referring to himself as ''we.'' Afraid that the noise will wake Max, Chloe attempts to quiet Brock. Eddie responds by grabbing Chloe by the collar and pulling her face close to his.

'''This is how you return our favors?'' Eddie asks eerily. Chloe responds with ''Not cool Eddie.'' and Brock seems to return to himself. For the first time, Chloe is reminded that a psychopath is sleeping in her living room. The two enter the apartment and sure enough, Max is up waiting for them. Chloe lies, saying that they had a late-night job. She looks to Eddie for support, but he just brushes past her and heads for the living room couch.

 


	2. Episode 4

Episode 4: Duotone

 

 

The next morning, Max wakes to find that Chloe isn't lying next to her. She gets out of bed and searches the small apartment, but Chloe is nowhere to be found. Seeing the concern on Max's face, Eddie tells Max that Chloe had an early morning job and that the blue-haired girl didn't want Eddie to tag along. Feeling slightly more at ease, Max packs her messenger bag and tells Eddie that she is off for school. Of course, Eddie is not allowed to leave the house.

Chloe Price had been hard at work.  Just this morning she had been involved in two small police chases. Her heart was pounding and sweat  drenched her balaclava. She wished that Max could have seen how she made the ''big city cops'' look like a bunch of chumps. Even in the big apple, Chloe was hella good at driving.  With her job complete, all she had to do now was get paid. Once again arriving at the warehouse, Chloe enters and lets Crime Master know that she has arrived with his ''shipment.'' Nicholas is impressed. The newbie had managed to pull off her first job without a hitch.  As Crime Master counts all Chloe's crisp bills, the blue-haired girl inquires about the mysterious shipment that she just help smuggle in from who knows where.  Crime Master honors the girl's request and reveals that inside of the dark crates are hundreds of military-grade firearms. At first, Chloe is offended. She thought that she and her employer were in agreement not to give her an assignment that dealt with guns. Crime Master is quick to correct that their actual agreement was that she and her unitwould never be  _using_  guns. Chloe considers calling the masked weirdo all sorts of names. But ultimately, she decides against it. Instead, Chloe informs Crime Master that this job was her first and will be her last. Now that she has some extra cash. She's done. Chloe Price has a girl at home. She can't keep doing this behind Max's back.

This news disappoints Crime Master--especially after the grunts in her unit express their disbelief. They'd only been on one job with her, but thanks to her driving skills, it was the fastest, smoothest, and most efficient job they'd pulled in weeks. The girl they called ''Blue'' couldn't leave them now.

Crime Master pleads for Chloe to stay, but she isn't reconsidering. So, Crime Master makes one final offer: Crime Master has a meeting with an important associate tonight and he will triple Chloe's pay if she accompanies him as his chauffeur. No stealing. No guns.  After tonight, Chloe can drop out if she still wants to.

Chloe Price thinks long and hard. If Max doesn't hear from her parents, fifteen thousand could set them up in a nicer place. Finally, she accepts. This will be her very last job.

Max does not go to school. Well, not her school anyway. Instead, Max uses the information that Brock gave her and Chloe a while ago and decides to formally introduce herself to Peter at Midtown Magnet High School. It felt wrong knowing Spider-Man's secret identity without his consent--especially after yesterday. At the very least, Max had to let Peter know that she knew. You know?  Max arrives at Midtown and after asking a few students, manages to find Peter Parker and introduces herself to Peter and a couple of his friends--a girl named Gwen Stacy and a boy named Harry . The 16 year old is surprised that one of Eddies ''caretakers'' has come to visit him at his school. He is even more surprised when she says that she needs to talk to him about ''what Eddie told her.'' Peter tells Gwen and Harry that he'll see them in first or second period.

Max and Peter take a small stroll around Midtown's campus. As nearly all of the students are in morning classes, the school grounds are quiet and still. In hushed voices, Max tells Peter that Eddie had revealed his identity to her and Chloe. At first, Peter tries to play the ''Eddie was in a mental institution'' card in an attempt to keep his secret identity a secret. Max doesn't buy it. Brock had no immediate family and the only ''friends'' that had inquired about his well being were Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker.  Plus, from what Max can remember from her brief encounter with the web slinger, Peter matched his height and build perfectly. Realizing that his lies aren't getting him anywhere, Peter admits to being Spider-Man and begs Max to keep his secret and to make sure that Eddie doesn't tell anyone else.  Max responds to Peter's request by recounting the events of yesterday evening.  Initially, Parker is speechless. He can't believe that his entire life had nearly fallen apart at the seams without his knowledge.

Peter expresses his extreme gratitude toward Max who modestly shrugs it off. After Peter finishes with his seemingly-endless thank -you's, he warns Max of the threat that Eddie poses to her and her girlfriend's safety. Peter tells Max of his encounter with the alien symbiote and havoc that Venom wrought on Midtown High a while back and of his attempts on the lives of Gwen Stacy and his Aunt May.

''Eddie may finally be getting better,'' says a hopeful Peter. ''But you've got to keep him away from the symbiote. If you see even a drop of black sludge or a thread of black webbing, take your girlfriend and get out. And whatever you do, don't let that stuff touch you.''

With the serious discussion out of the way, Max and Peter talk for a bit longer. Max tells Peter about her first month in New York and of the fun that she, Chloe, and Eddie have had . She also asks how Peter got his powers and finds it a tad cliché when he reveals that his origin lies within a spider-bite. Max also notices the camera lens poking out from the sophomore's messenger bag. Peter informs Max about his job at the Daily Bugle taking pictures of Spider-Man. Max finds it hilarious that his job alone hasn't given Peter's identity away.  Plus, all of the shots that Peter has on his camera are total crap.  Max enjoys playfully picking on the armature photographer and shows Peter some of her own work. Again, Peter finds himself speechless.  Just as he begins to marvel over Max's skills the school bell rings, reminding Peter that he has school today. Max and Peter say their goodbyes and part ways. Before Peter is out of earshot, Max suggest that he visit her, Eddie and Chloe this weekend. It would give everybody a chance to talk. Peter agrees. He returns to school, happy to know that Eddie seems to be in good hands.

With her meeting with Peter out of the way, Max decides to head home--but not before taking a trip to Ravencroft. If what Peter told her was true, then she needed to know what personality changes to look for in Eddie if he were to somehow acquire this ''symbiote thing.'' No one was better suited to aid in her quest than Dr. Ashley Kafka. 

Arriving at Ravencroft, Max sits in the waiting room for about two hours before Dr. Kafka comes down to the lobby to greet her. Max asks Dr. Kafka for information regarding Eddie's personality when he initially arrived at Ravencroft and if there were any signs that would suggest that Brock had reverted to his state of ''delusion.'' At first, Dr. Kafka gives straight-forward answers. However, as she speaks with the girl, Dr. Kafka's ''inner psychologist'' just can't help but recognize the signs of severe trauma, depression, a mental handicap, and regret that are littered throughout the girl's voice, iris movement, hand  gestures, and standing posture. Kafka didn't notice how intriguing this ''Maxine'' was when she had met her at first. Perhaps that was because the rowdy one she was with constantly demanded her attention--clearly a sign of attachment and abandonment issues. Having found her most interesting conversation partner of the day, Kafka can't resist sneaking a few psychoanalysis questions into their discussion of Edward. She is amazed at how such a young girl with a horrible psychological background can stand before her and seem so normal. Unfortunately, the good doctor allows herself to get caught up in the excitement and Max realizes that the woman is attempting to figure her out as if she is a patient.

Feeling uncomfortable, Max turns to leave. Quickly, Dr. Kafka stops her. Kafka apologizes for her intrusion and offers Max a chance to talk to Cletus Cassidy. Cletus was far closer to Edward than she was--he even believed that Edward was Venom. If Max wanted to know all there was to know about Edward's persona, then talking to Cletus was a necessity.

Max's visit with Cassidy is just as disturbing as her talk with Dr. Kafka. Cassidy has been in the system of mental institutions since her was a child. He could recognize crazy when he saw it. This ''Max'' clearly wasn't as well put together as she appeared. Eddie hadn't told Cletus that he had gotten such a fun caretaker. Cassidy takes a strange liking to the girl.

The visit with Cassidy does make Max feel unbearably uncomfortable, but the ginger does provide a deeper look into what Brock was like when he first arrived at Ravencroft. Apparently, the blonde was obsessed with the symbiote which he referred to as ''the one he loves'' or his ''other.'' Eddie also had the tendency to refer to himself as ''we'' throughout the day. Apparently, he was certain that the organism would make its way to the institute and rejoin with him. Coming from Cassidy, this depiction of Eddie was especially disturbing. Max has heard enough for one day and decides to leave Ravencroft as soon as possible. She'd have to tell Chloe about this too. As Max leaves, Cletus gives her a wide smile and a wave goodbye. Max weakly smiles back and leaves the visiting area as quickly as possible. On the way out of the institution, Dr. Kafka apologizes once more and lets Max know that if there is anything she ever needs to know about Eddie, she can come to Ravencroft and Kafka will do her best to answer. The ''good doctor'' also lets Max know that she holds anonymous therapy sessions once a week in Brooklyn.

Chloe Price practically kicks the door down when she enters her apartment. At first, Max and Eddie are startled by the intense entrance. Then, they notice that Chloe is carrying three plastic bags that are each filled with several to-go boxes. Chloe has a huge smile on her face and the sweet, mouthwatering aroma of French, Italian, and Chinese foods fill the air. Price is literally putting food on the table. Eddie and Max are starving.

Chloe tells Max to go wait in the bedroom. Price reveals that she also bought some scented candles and the fanciest tablecloth that she could find. This evening, she and Max will dine like queens in the comfort of their own room--it'll be a romantic dinner for two. Max's feet can't carry her to her bedchamber fast enough. With Max out of earshot, Chloe turns her attention to Eddie Brock. She asks if he snitched on her while she was out. Brock promises Chloe that he hadn't and apologizes for his ''episode'' yesterday. He hated Peter and seethed with rage when he lost yet another chance to take his revenge. However, Eddie is still grateful to Max and Chloe for taking him in--even if it was just because they needed the cash. Eddie reveals to Chloe that his and Peter's parents died when they were young. While Peter had his Aunt May and Uncle Ben to take care of him, Eddie had been on his own ever since. Max and Chloe are the closest that Brock has gotten to having a ''family'' since he was seven years old. Touched, Chloe accepts Eddie's apology and hands him his food before joining Max in the bedroom.

Spider-Man is desperately searching for Stan Carter--also known as Sin Eater. He'd considered going to the police and revealing the masked man's identity, but had ultimately decided against it. If Spider-Man's secret identity got out, everyone that Peter Parker cared about would be in danger. Was this same danger not applicable to Stan Carter's family, friends, or coworkers ? Sin-Eater may be Spider-Man's adversary, but Carter's life is still full of people and good cops who could get hurt if his identity were to be revealed to the world. His talk with Max reminded him of that. Peter needed to find a way to end this Sin-Eater problem as quickly as possible--without exposing Carter for who he really was.  If only he knew how to find him. Sin-Eater's attacks weren't random outbursts. Peter  figured that Carter had been using police equipment to stay clear of the NYPD and Spider-Man as with each reported sighting of the wall crawler, officers gave their location. How then, was Spider-Man supposed to catch this guy? Peter thinks silently for a moment. Then, he is struck with an idea.

After a few hours, Max and Chloe emerge from the bedroom. They're happy, refreshed, and full of smiles as they join Brock on the sofa. Brock thanks his blue-haired caretaker once more for the delicious meal. It was thousands of times better than his Ravencroft diet. Max asks Chloe how she managed to acquire enough money for the food, tablecloth, and scented candles. Chloe nervously hesitates as she debates telling Max the truth and ruining their evening or keeping her secret. As Max begins to get suspicious, Eddie interjects that last night and this morning he and Chloe had been working for ''some rich prick'' who owned a chain of restaurants. ''He's an asshole,'' Eddie says. ''But he pays well.'' Last night, Chloe had agreed to do one job for Crime Master. Eddie figured that the buffet and scented candles meant that she'd done well and gotten paid. Chloe should be through with the mob boss. Brock figured that there was no need to trouble Max with all of the details.

''Well, speaking of Ravencroft,'' Max begins. ''I think we need to talk.'' Max tells Eddie and her girlfriend that she didn't go to school today and instead met with Peter at Midtown. Eddie gets a little nervous. Did Peter tell her about Venom?  Did Max think that they were a monster? Would Chloe think they were a monster? Would they hate him? Fear him? Abandon him? Eddie allows Max to continue, hanging his head in shame as Max's words confirm Eddie's fears. Peter had told her about Venom. Peter was trying to scare Max and Chloe into sending him back to Ravencroft--trying to make Eddie's only real friends abandon him. Eddie also hears Max talk about her visit with Dr. Kafka and Cassidy, but he doesn't care. Brock just wants to make Peter pay. For now, Eddie keeps his eyes glued to the floor and waits for Max and Chloe to tell him to pack his small backpack and prepare to be returned to the institute.

''Yo Brock,'' Chloe yells, snapping Eddie out of his loathing. She smacks the side of his face with her palm two times for effect. ''Did you hear us? We asked you if you have venom stuff on you. Well? Do you?''

Brock is stunned. He replays Chloe's words in his head to make sure that he hadn't confused them for ''Get the fuck out you fucking psycho!!'' or ''What the hell is wrong with you?! Alien-fucker!''

''N--No,'' Eddie stutters. ''It hasn't returned to me yet. I'm powerless.''

''Good,'' Chloe looks into Eddie's eyes. She is extremely serious. ''You better fucking keep it that way if you want to keep living here.'' 

''We mean it,'' Max concurs. ''If you do anything that even remotely puts Chloe or me, or this apartment in any danger, we're done. No do-over's. No second chances.'' For a moment, Eddie stares blankly at the two girls. Then, to their surprise, Brock throws his massive arms around their necks and hugs them.

''Thank you,'' he says. ''Thank you both so much.''

With the ''mushy shit'' out of the way. Chloe announces that she must take her leave. She's got to work another job for that ''rich prick.'' Eddie's eyebrows perk up and he follows her out of the apartment. Once they are far enough away from Max, Eddie asks Chloe why she's still working for Crime Master. She was only supposed to do one job, collect her cash, and be done. With people like Sin-Eater running around, it wasn't safe to be so close to a crime boss. Chloe insists that Eddie relax.  All she's doing is driving the dude to a meeting in Upper Manhattan and dropping him back at home. There will be no actual ''crime'' involved. Sin-Eater has no reason to get involved and Chloe is sure that she will come home safe and sound ''With dessert and then some.''  Unable to persuade Price to stay home, Brock offers his assistance. Chloe refuses. If Brock had wanted to tag along, Chloe would have had to clear it with Crime Master earlier this morning. Assuring Eddie that she will be just fine, Chloe asks Brock to cover for her and leaves for ''work.''

Eddie hates to betray Chloe's trust, but he didn't want her getting hurt either. When Brock returns to the apartment, he sits Max down and tells her the truth about Chloe's newest ''job.'' He makes sure to emphasize that he pushed Chloe to Crime Master because of his hatred for Peter. Max doesn't seem to care. She just wants to get to wherever Chloe is and fast. Eddie tells Max that the meeting is taking place somewhere in Upper Manhattan. Caulfield bounds out of the apartment . Eddie is not far behind.

Photographer Peter Parker has just arrived in Upper Manhattan accompanied by the Daily Bugle's Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Frederick Foswell--also known in the criminal underworld as ''Patch.'' According to Foswell, there was to be a ''meeting of the minds'' tonight in the Upper East Side's Kraushaar Galleries.  Apparently, a young man by the name Crime Master was attempting to conquer New York since The Big Man was currently unable to operate. Other players in the game of organized crime however, believed Crime Master's hostile takeover to be rushed, poorly executed, and stupid. They had called this meeting to attempt to reason with New York's latest crime boss an attempt to settle things without spilling unnecessary blood.  Basically, every winner of the ''New York Worst Citizen Award '' would be gathered in a small, intimate, enclosed space. Peter knew that if Sin-Eater wanted to ''take a bite out of crime,'' then he'd be here in due time. After all, Peter made sure that the last reported Spider-Man sighting occurred in Queens. After ''Patch'' successfully entered the art gallery, Peter set his camera to auto and dressed for the real battle. All he had to do was wait in the shadows.

One by one, well-dressed criminals and their well-dressed entourages entered the art gallery. Peter counted Hammerhead and six armed stooges, Sable Manfredi and twelve armed stooges, Roderick Kingsley and seven armed stooges, and finally, the ''Crime-Master'' with a miniature army of twenty heavily armed men and a single, unarmed chauffeur. Spider-Man sighs. With all of the bullets that will surely be flying tonight, he hopes that Sin-Eater will decide to take the night off.

Chloe Price is scared shitless. She isn't afraid of Crime Master. No. Compared to these other guys, Crime Master and his thugs seemed like common street rats. Even though they had all brought smaller entourages, there was something different about them--something refined. It was in their walks, the sharpness of their words, and their intelligence. Chloe would be grateful when the meeting was over. She never wanted to face any of these people ever again . Suddenly, a loud bang brought Chloe out of her thoughts.

''You just ain't ready,'' says the large, gruff man known as Hammerhead. He had slammed his fist into the wall. The blow was inches away from an expensive-looking piece of art. ''So back off before me and my boys show you how a real man handles his competition.''  

Crime Master yawns in response. ''I don't think so freak show. You're boring me.'' Hammerhead bares his teeth and growls. Nicholas's men all reach for their guns.

''Now now gentlemen,'' says Roderick Kingsley. He yawns too. ''Let's keep things civil. After all, there is a lady in our presence.  Now Nich--'Crime Master', your sudden expansion into what was formerly Tombstone's territory was. . . impressive.  However, we were already in the process of dividing said territory amongst ourselves prior to your arrival. I understand that you're doing this to please your father, but we just ask that you withdraw your men until we can all reach an agreement on who gets what.''

''You may have that kind of time in your perfume factory Kingsley,'' Crime Master responds . ''But I don't.''

Hammerhead retorts. ''Well then, it sounds like you'd better make time. Lest I send your father a gift that'll hurt worse than those chemotherapy sessions.''

Chloe sees Crime Master reach for the pistol in his jacket. Before he draws however, a thud resounds through the art gallery. Sable Manfredi and several members of her entourage  have dropped to the ground. Hammerhead rushes over and picks takes Sable into his arms. She's alive, but she's out cold. Several other armed guards  also begin to keel over.

''What's going on,'' Patch asks, speaking nervously for the first time since the start of the meeting.

Hammerhead stands and pulls his shirt over his mouth and nose. ''Ain't it obvious? We're being gassed.''

Just as Peter begins to think that Sin-Eater had heard his wish and stayed home, Hammerhead comes crashing through the doors of the art gallery. Sable is limp in his arms as he calls for his limousine and speeds away. Surely, this was Spider-Man's cue.

Peter swings into the art gallery using the exit that Hammerhead had hastily created for himself. As he lands, Peter's spider-sense goes off. Before he can react, Crime Master has already shoved the wall-crawler aside and escaped.

''Good news Blue,'' the masked criminal says as he leaves. ''We're done.''

As Spider-Man ventures deeper into the art gallery, he finds himself following a trail of unconscious bodies. Patch and Roderick Kingsley are among them There were no signs of struggle or attack. With all of his ''sinners'' in one room, Carter must have gassed the gallery to make sure that no one was able to fight back. Spider-Man sprays webbing onto the mouth and nose areas of his mask in an attempt to construct a makeshift gas mask. The compounds in his web fluid would temporarily neutralize some of the gas. Spider-Man swings into the gallery's large, main room and beneath the reflective lenses, Peter's eyes widen with horror.  Wearing a gas mask and his costume, Sin-Eater is casually wakes an unconscious henchman. Once he opens his eyes, Sin Eater shoves the barrel of his shotgun into the man's mouth and stares into the henchman's eyes until he sees fear. Before Peter slams his feet into Carter's head, Sin-Eater pulls the trigger. Stanley Carter has just killed his eighth henchman. After he deals with Spider-Man, the unarmed chauffeur in the balaclava is next.

Spider-Man fights fiercely. Peter isn't going to let anyone else die tonight. Within moments of delivering brutal blows, Sin-Eater is tossed against and webbed to the gallery's rear wall. With Sin-Eater subdued, Peter turns his attention to the remaining criminals that need to be saved. He needed to get them out of the gallery and web them up for the cops. In fact, with fresh air seeping in through Hammerhead's exit, some were already beginning to stir.

A drowsy Chloe Price struggles to sit herself up. She is tired and cold and scared. Mostly scared. Desperate for fresh air, Price removes the balaclava from her face and attempts to take in her surroundings. Things are still fuzzy, but she can barely make out a well-dressed man limping down the long hallway. She remembers that his name is Kingsley. Chloe tries to call out to him for help, but no sound escapes her dry mouth. Chloe is so afraid. She feels her body return to the ground. She can also feel tears form in her eyes. Then...

''Chloe!?''

''Chloe are you in here!?''

Chloe knows these voices. Peter does too. Max Caulfield and Eddie Brock come storming down the gallery hallway.

''Max! Eddie!'' Spider-Man is screaming. ''Both of you need to get out! Now!'' Before they can get any closer to Sin-Eater, Spider-Man swings over to them and blocks their path.

''I'm not leaving without Chloe,'' Max says strongly. ''Move.''

Again, Peter's eyes widen with shock. ''Chloe's in here!? I--I had no idea.'' Max attempts to move past Spider-Man, but Peter still stands in her way. ''I'll get her out I promise. But Sin-Eater is still back there. He's still dangerous.'' Just as his spider-sense goes off, Peter hears an familiar voice behind him.

''He's right you know,'' says Sin Eater who has freed himself from the webbing and now holds a desperate fist of blue hair in one hand and his shot gun in the other. ''I am still here. And I'm still a danger to all who sin.''

Max Caulfield is paralyzed with fear. How can this be happening again?

Slowly, Peter turns and faces Sin-Eater. ''Stan. Please. Put her down. I know that you're upset about DeWolff, but this isn't what she'd want.'' In response, Carter merely laughs.

''Of course it isn't,'' he sneers. ''If Jean had her way, I'd be on trail for attempted murder.'' Six weeks ago Officer Stan Carter and Jean DeWolff were on an drug bust. Some guy had been dealing in The Big Man's former territory and they had finally tracked the man down. Carter and DeWolff chased the man through a long alley. It was clear to both officers that the man could maneuver in his surroundings much better than either of them. The dealer was going to get away. Stan was resigned to let him go, regroup, and get him the next time. DeWolff wasn't. She got angry. She pulled out her gun, and took a shot. The dealer still got away, but a little boy who was walking home from school never made it. And what did Jean do? She used her connections as an officer to cover it up--pinned the kid's death on the dealer. She didn't even bother to lean the kid's name. ''It would be too painful,'' she told Carter as she asked him to keep her secret. Then, after all of her skeletons were safely in the closet, DeWolff had the audacity to go to the church and ask for forgiveness. For Stanley, nothing felt more ''right'' than putting a bullet through her chest. She deserved it. And why should Carter have stopped with DeWolff? Why not punish everyone out there who was just like her on the inside? Stanley Carter need to be Sin-Eater. It was his responsibility.

Peter isn't sure of what to do. After hearing that horrible story, there's nothing that he'd enjoy more than slamming Sin-Eater's face into the cold, hard floor. Even though DeWolff had done something terrible, Carter was in no position to ''play god''--nobody was. Yet, Spider-Man was sure that if he so much as flinched , Sin Eater would blow Chloe Price to bits.  Then suddenly, the strangest thing Peter had ever seen happens before his eyes. Max Caulfield appears behind Sin -Eater and slams the body of his shotgun against Carter's head. It's like magic.

Max Caulfield had used her ''rewind'' five times. The first time, she had attempted to notify Spider-Man of Sin-Eater's activities. When Peter turned and attempted to stop him, Carter pulled the trigger on Chloe before Spider-Man even got close. Max didn't stay to see Chloe's jaw and brain matter splatter onto the floor. On the second rewind, Max decided to move Chloe out of the way before Sin-Eater had the chance to strike. This time, Sin-Eater made a grab for Max. Peter flung himself into Carter and saved them, but Spider-Man took a fatal bullet to the head. Sin-Eater escaped as Peter died in her arms. The third time, Caulfield took a pistol from the pocket of an unconscious henchman and attempted to shoot Carter in the leg. The shot hit, but only delayed Chloe's death by seconds. Finally, Max returned to her initial ''rewind route.'' She waited for Chloe to get killed and for Spider-Man to begin beating on the man. During the beating,  Sin-Eater dropped his shotgun. This is what Max needed. Once she had retrieved the shotgun, Max rewound one final time to the ''original'' timeline. Sin-Eater's shotgun appeared to vanish into thin air and Max cracked the steel body of the gun against Carter's skull. This time, no one had died.

 Max has never played baseball, but she imagines that this is what a ''homerun'' feels like. Peter is using  all of his remaining web-fluid on securing Carter and Chloe is safe in her arms.

''Max,'' Chloe mouths. ''I'm so sorry.'' Max shakes her head forgivingly.

''It's okay. Everything is okay as long as you're with me.''

Peter and Eddie shyly turn away from the touching scene.

''I don't know how to say this without ruining the moment,'' Peter says to Eddie. ''But you guys had better go. There's a reporter close by. I'm going to have him call the police.''

Silently, Brock nods. He walks over to Chloe and helps the blue-haired girl stand. Peter continues. ''But we should totally talk about that . . . whatever it was that you did this weekend Max. It was spectacular. You were spectacular. Thank you.''

As Eddie, Chloe, and Max leave, Max gives Peter a weak smile. Her nose is bleeding.

With the trio gone, Peter changes into his civilian clothes and wakes ''Patch'' who removes his disguise and calls the police. In half-an-hour, Peter finds himself riding with Foswell back to the Daily Bugle. Peter has come to a solid conclusion: He is Spider-Man. He has to be. He can't afford to take time off to deal with is conscience--unless he wants more Sin-Eaters to start popping up. He didn't mean for his battle with the Green Goblin to result in Norman's death, but it did. Spider-Man would just  have to forgive himself, suck it up, and never let it happen again.

''Hey kid,'' Foswell asks, interrupting Peter's monologue. He points up at the sky with his free hand as he drives. ''Did you order the snow or did I? ''

A surprised Peter looks up at the sky. A light blanket of snow is descending upon New York City.

''I really don't know Mr. Foswell,'' Peter says. ''But I doubt either of us did.''


End file.
